Bit of a Sunday lark :)

First it was the cats, it still is.. and now the birds! I must give off 'come and she will feed you' vibes :) The mud-lark here, one of a pair, has totally adopted me. Mrs Mudlark sings outside my bedroom window every morning to wake me, sometimes pecking at the window to make sure I'm listening and often sits on the edge of the chair when I'm reading on the patio. I've seen her fearlessly defend her nest from the kookaburras, crows and magpies that also frequent my garden.. it's all going on out there!

In these shots she was an arm stretch away, not at all bothered by the camera. I like the way she looks at me in the first shot, then away, and back again as if to say 'wot, you still there'! Hope you have a wonderful Sunday, whatever you get up to 😉 Take care and stay safe..

Café Poste..

The interior and gardens of the old Guildford Post office, yesterday's post, is now home to Hort Plan & Cafe Poste & Garden Design Centre. The heritage building, itself a delightful vision of Federation Free Style architecture, is beautifully enhanced by the abundance of greenery, flowering plants, water features, stylish urns, not to mention the many antiques and collectibles to be found inside and out.. garden design concept at it's best. The joie de vivre continued as we had coffee and shared, it wasn't long after the brunch here :) a lemon tart.. mmmm, so good! Hope you have a wonderful weekend, take care and stay safe..

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La poste..

Taking mon amie française Marie home after our sumptuous brunch on Wednesday, it was impossible not to stop and take a few shots of the old Guildford Post Office, glowing softly pink in the autumn sunshine. Built in 1897 the post office doubled for a while as the local telephone exchange. Directly opposite the railway line, the noise would have been a challenge.. a quote from a former switchboard operator.. 'In wartime, the trains were often filled with soldiers and, rather than shouting over the noise we used to just up and go to the balcony and wave to the soldiers going by. As soon as the train had gone we would rush back to our desks and there would be little shutters flapping everywhere and you didn't know which call to take first'. I can imagine that scene so clearly.  Tomorrow I'll show you inside, you might be surprised 😉 Happy Friday, take care and stay safe..

Monochromatic Memories..

“What I love about Black & White photographs is that they’re more like reading the book than seeing the movie”.. Jennifer Price

 It has been many years since my father passed and too many since mum joined him, yesterday my sisters and I pulled out the boxes of photos taken by mum and dad over the years since we three girls were born and before. There isn't anything more authentic than handling real photos taken over sixty years ago and seeing your parents as they were then, doing all the things that we think we are the first to experience as parents as our children think they are :) For four hours we shared memories, laughed, and yes there was the odd tear, the photos may be black and white but the memories were colourful and we have two more boxes to go, can't wait 💙 Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe..

The King of Diamonds at Maison Saint Honore..

There are many interpretations as to the meaning of the King of Diamonds the one that suits here is that 'it evokes abundance and financial success' 🔶 Knowing well my love of all things French when P came across a review for Maison Saint Honore in the Swan Valley, and as the weather is still very much Al-fresco perfect, we picked up mon amie française Marie, naturellement :) and set off to investigate further. The abundance was our brunch of poached eggs, toast, mushrooms, bacon, tomato, potato croquet and the unexpected much enjoyed petit perfect croissant with coffee.. thank goodness I hadn't had time to eat breakfast :) The financial success was also ours, tres reasonable prices for such a feast. I only took the shot above, their website pics are much more delicious, check it out! Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe.. P.s. It goes without say that we went home with freshly baked bread and a few extra pastries.. you would have too right!

The wise owl..

The whimsical wonder here by Perth artist Esti has been on my street art bucket list since I spotted it on the artist's website a while back. We don't get over to Roleystone very often so when we did last week it was right up there on my to snap list. Painted in 2016 for a then cafe and wellness center, now Brook 508 Cafe, a delightful discovery itself, 'the owl symbolizing wisdom, the blue lotus a spiritual symbol of rebirth and purification, the act of giving, or exchange between the two figures'. The artist wanted to 'create something beautiful that makes people smile as they walk past, a reminder of joy and innocence too'. Seeing it did make me happy I hope it does you also 💙 Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe..

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Autumn leaves..

And all at once 

Summer collapsed into fall.. Oscar Wilde

That's not quite true weather wise yet, it's still a touch warm.. thank heavens for the trees! The plane trees in particular are well on their way to autumn colours. Driving along Mounts Bay Road on Saturday afternoon looking out for a new Autumn header shot we stopped at the base of Kings Park to admire the avenue of tall plane trees lining the busy road. Didn't snap the header shot but enjoyed walking among the fallen leaves under these majestic beauties. Hope you had/are still having a fab weekend, happy Monday from Perth, take care and stay safe..

Unidentified floating object!

On Friday it was overboard today it is overflow :) Driving alongside the Swan River on Mounts Bay road yesterday we noticed a crowd of people on the shore taking photos of something in the river. Yay dolphins I thought.. not even close! If you're wondering what the colourful object floating offshore from Elizabeth Quay to the right of the shot above is.. it was the overflow from a boat full of young people having fun in the sun. Looking around I noticed a lot of long lenses, I could have done the same but it felt a bit voyeuristic so took the few shots here and left them to their partying. Did you notice, no more cranes in Elizabeth Quay itself, hopefully that's an end to the skyscrapers! Happy Sunday, take care and stay safe..

Hey you.. get out my head!

I've been saving this one last shot from our sunset visit to Sculpture by the Sea for Weekend Reflections. I couldn't get anywhere near the man with the long nose, so this shot was taken with my long lens from afar. I kinda liked the way the people milling around him were reflected in his shiny noggin. It felt familiar in a way, I can't be the only one who has days where they feel like there is a crowd partying inside their head.. can I 😵Happy weekend, take care and stay safe..

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(Wo)man Overboard..

It's been warm in Perth through March, not super high temps as in summer, around the high 20/low 30C's but soooo humid! We need a storm to break the spell. If you find a spot with a breeze blowing through, as there was here at the Over Board Cafe in Hillarys Boat Harbour, eating Al-fresco is the best. I'm guessing there will be a bit of Al-fresco going on in the Northern Hemisphere these days too now, with the official arrival of spring, am I right? Happy Friday, take care and stay safe..

Pre Wedding Destination..

Guessing by the number of times I've come across couples, both local and international, having pre wedding photos taken around Perth it's clear that it is now a 'bit of a thing'. Gawd, don't know about you, but once, at the actual wedding was enough for me.. I know right, so romantic 😉 As the sun went down on Cottesloe Beach last week I couldn't help wondering if the couple here realised, as they stepped down onto the beach with a thousand others that Sculpture by the Sea was happening :) I wish them all the happiness. There are many beautiful spots around Perth that are perfect, have a peek here, you will recognize a few I'm sure. Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe..

Love Love Me Do..

Whether young or old(er) I can't imagine many who haven't heard of the Beatles.. link just in-case you might be the only person in the world who hasn't :) Probably the biggest musical and to some degree fashion influencers of the 1960/70's. The mural here painted by Australian artist Fieldey during the Kaleidoscope Festival in November last year. Couldn't get Paul McCartney full on, damn car, anyone would think it was a car park or something.. he was my favourite too 😉 Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe.. P.s. thanks Miriam for the heads up!

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Sunsets and sculptures..

We did head to Cottesloe on Friday evening to get some sunset pics of Sculpture by the Sea before it finishes today.. I'm happy to say along with most of Perth! While Aimee tried to catch a sculpture shot without anyone in it :) above, I hoped to capture the wonderful atmosphere of families enjoying a warm autumn evening on one of Perth's prettiest beaches. See for yourself here (really worth the one and a half minutes) how beautiful the sculptures look on Cottesloe Beach, possibly for the last time if they can't get the funding they need, the biggest percentage of which is private funding, that would be so sad for Perth and for everyone around the world who enjoys seeing the sculptures..

The pic below made me smile, I wonder how many of the romantic photos taken of the couple below were complete with aqua-man photo bomber.. I took a few and he was there in every one 😊 Happy Monday, take care and stay safe..

Triangular Reflections..

Last month we visited my multi-medium artist and maker of hats niece Jessica when she had a short stay in the relatively new State Government and teaching facility the Fiona Stanley Hospital south of the river. After a few initial problems the hospital officially opened in October 2014. Named after Australian epidemiologist Fiona Stanley the hospital has won awards for it's design. The exterior is excellent for reflections, couldn't decide which to use so here we have both :) Hope you are having a good weekend, take care and stay safe..

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A bit of this and a bit of that in Petticoat Lane..

Are there any shop/stores that you cannot resist popping into if you are in the area? For me it is Petticoat Lane in Subiaco, it's possible you have been in here with me before :) Temptation abounds between these four walls. The lamp below, no not the nubile young lady in front, the Art Deco lamp behind, isn't she gorgeous! I saw a quote recently that goes 'don't run from temptation, look it in the eye and defeat it'.. je préfère 'don't run from temptation, look it in the eye and buy it' :) I'll leave it in the hands of fate, if she is still there the next time I pop in, she is coming home with me 😊 Happy Saturday, take care and stay safe.. P.s. I think that is the owner above.. minimalism must be a curse to nostalgia shop owners!

 

Fly.. vroom vroom!

The free motorbike parking spot here is two minutes from the park I showed yesterday, so I'm guessing that at least twice a day that spot might not be so serene 😉 Parking here on Mounts Bay road it's only a ten minute walk into the city.. a bit of exercise before work and no parking fees sounds like a good deal. I wish I had had a closer look to see if there were surveillance cameras, let's hope so! I believe Melbourne is the only Australian capital city to allow motorcycle parking on the footpath, although maybe not for long. What are the motorbike parking facilities in your city/town like? Happy Friday, take care and stay safe..

Bridges and waterfalls..

Many people drive past John Oldham Park without even realizing it's there.. with busy Mounts Bay Road along one side and the Mitchell Freeway on the other it's easy to speed past this gem a stone's throw from the city. Designed by John Oldham, a pioneer of landscape architecture in Australia, the park was named after him in 2000 after he passed in 1999. Bridges, waterfalls, children's playground, paths under the shade of the lush foliage make the park popular with walkers, cyclists and families.. and a certain Perth blogger whenever she gets the chance 😉 Happy Thursday, take care and stay safe..

Trinity Arcade encore..

It's no surprise that a walk through Trinity Arcade is my preferred way to get to St Georges Terrace. The Art Deco design is gorgeous and, if there happens to be an attractive couple walking hand in hand through the arcade at the same time, complimenting the decor :) all the better. Could be anywhere in Europe instead of the world's most isolated city oui 💛 Happy Wednesday, take care and stay safe..

By the hair on my chinny chin chin ..

I'm wondering if by now you will recognize the quirky character here as the work of my favourite artiste français Tankateo. Discovered in Coventry Village in Morley. After studying in the South of France Tankateo came to Perth in 2010 and stayed.. people who come to Perth often do. France's loss is without doubt Perth's gain 💙 Happy Tuesday, take care and stay safe..

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How splendid!

The two birds on the top of my wish list to snap are the Tawny Frogmouth and the Splendid Fairy Wren. In February last year I was was thrilled to get close up to the Tawny Frogmouth here, and although there are many beautiful images of the Splendid Fairy Wren out there, the two shots here are the sum total of my success.. so far! Below, eight years ago.. there was no time to focus just a quick click and it was off.. the shot above three weeks ago. When the male is looking for a mate in the breeding season, his feathers turn iridescent blue, the colour above is straight out of the camera.. bit of a show off isn't he :) What's on top of your wish list to snap a pic of? Happy new week, take care and stay safe..